To get rid of every recipe/ cook book in the house?

[YouBelongWithMe]

We're getting our kitchen re-done - it's being fitted next month.

We're in the process of clearing out drawers, cupboards etc so that we're only putting back items that are useful, pleasing etc.

We don't have a large cookery book collection by any means - maybe 35/40. Lile most, we've accumulated them over the years. There are books we've used to bake with the kids, and some books which contain recipes that have become integral to our meal planning (step up, Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals).

But all these recipes are either ingrained in our brains or available online. All our most recent additions to meal rotation have come via instagram or YouTube channels.

I'm tempted to get rid of them all. My mum is horrified ('what kitchen has NO COOK BOOKS' 🤣) but I can't help thinking they're just virtue-signalling clutter now.

Does anyone else have no recipe/ cookbooks?

I can’t be bothered trying to hunt for recipes online. In any case, they are not always reliable, so I prefer books - though I do follow Curries with Bumbi on YouTube.

I used to have at least 30-40, now it’s far fewer. They are either old favourites (such as Madhur Jaffrey, Keith Floyd, Claudia Roden’s Book of Middle Eastern Cooking, one of Gordon Ramsey’s, my Mum’s baking book), or special cuisines (A Lebanese Feast, Falastin, Persiana, Thai, vegetarian etc). I guess I have around 15-20 left.

i did a big clear out of ours. But have kept around 10 - several baking books, a couple of kids recipe ones and some pinch of nom books I like. The rest all went

I love my cook books but they aren't in my kitchen. My recent obsession is Indian food and I've bought 4 Nisha Katona books. I love the recipes and put post its with my notes on the pages of the recipes I've tried.

I have a shelf full in the kitchen and they do look cheery. But staring at it now and you've inspired me. I never use them anymore. And space is valuable. I think they need to go but will keep;

Betty Crocker's holiday and Christmas recipes
A Jamaican cookbook bought in a charity shop in Kingston
And Mrs Beeton's

They can go on the living room bookshelf and I'll have more space for some other shite now. Thank you x

I love my cookery books and won't ever get rid of them, but I don't keep them in the kitchen.
Please explain OP, as I genuinely don't understand what does " virtue signalling clutter" mean in regard to having some cook books ?

We cull regularly. Thry go out of fashion and ingredients so being a available/attractive. Sweet chilli sauce gets replaced by black garlic as flavour of the year

I went through quite a long period of only using online recipes.

Then I decided to cut down my phone use and put restrictions on my phone so I didn't want to use my limited available phone time on recipes.

I rediscovered my cook books and it's been fab! Especially Delia. I've been working my way through it and discovered some gems that I'd never have normally bothered with (liver and mushroom risotto anyone?! Was delicious!)

Love a cookbook.

I'd cull rather than get rid of all of them. 40 is a lot, I reckon cull to the top 5-10.

I got rid of quite a few when we got our kitchen done and kept the main ones with the important recipes in. Examples include Nigella's Christmas and Delia's How to Cook series. And a few magazines.

Also I like recipe books as souvenirs from holidays eg I have them from places like the Channel Islands, the Isle of Bute, Tetbury and Loch Lomond so I kept those.

But i agree it's often easier to find a recipe online.

I like my Claudia Roden ones for the writing. And I like the Niki Segnit flavour thesaurus as I find it a really handy thing for pairing flavours when I have a selection of weird ingredients or when serving certain cheeses.
The others I use rarely but recently I’ve been choosing a few recipes, photographing the pages and asking chat gpt to make me a shopping list. That’s quite handy, especially if I go to an Asian supermarket or something.

I got rid of most of mine as well but then bought a few back from charity shops recently. It completely does my head in when I’m trying to follow a recipe on my iPad and the screen goes off or ads keep popping up. I also write on some of them to remind me to do something- one recipe’s last line advised me to serve it with cooked pasta, advice that would’ve been helpful 15 mins earlier. Some cookery books have one or two good recipes and the rest are pants really so just be selective.

I think you’ll regret it. I too am trying to cut my screen use and actually find having a book open easier when cooking. Also I’m finding increasing recipes behind paywalls , wondering if this will get worse. I’ve got mine colour sorted on two massive oak shelves with plants as a feature. Love it. I did cull a few battered ones and things we’ve outgrown like Annabel Karmel and family type cook books.

I have about 50, often get bought them, very rarely use them…usually go on line. But I have a fancy I will more in retirement, relatively soon, Staying with a friend recently she uses hers, writes in them and gets inspiration….it made me think…get them out and use them.

but if you don’t feel like that,get rid.

We have a handful, maybe 10. I keep them on a little shelf in the kitchen. They’re mostly Nigel Slater, I’m a big fan of his and to be honest, his books also look really aesthetic!

Ooh I'd love to give your cookery books a home. For me they're like doomscrolling , flicking through, thinking of delicious food...

Hours later, I realise that I haven't cooked dinner, it's far too late to start now... I'll have some toast 🤣

my recipes lately are mainly on line
however sometimes even the online ones disappear

indeed. I have a lot of cookbooks - I didn’t realise I’m virtue signaling

We've got a few basic ones because we probably only make pastry once a year and there are so many on line variations to the recipe that I want something I really trust. Ditto a few other things

Otherwise like you its all on line

Oh no! I'd never get rid of mine! I have about 100 & i use them frequently

I also have a beautiful cloth bound recipe notebook bought for me by dh in Paris when dc was tiny & i write all our favourite recipes into it & it will be theirs. I adore it

We have thousands of books & they're in every room apart from bathroom

I keep my cook books in the kitchen but am always plotting ways to display them better in limited space. If i was getting a new kitchen my books would have pride of place

I can't bear the idea of getting rid of books to move it all online. It makes me sad

Like others have already said, books, all books & especially recipe books bring me great comfort. I love looking through them!

I am a good cook who enjoys cooking & baking & entertaining

I tend to agree. I only have about 15, and the most used ones I don’t use anymore as I’ve either saved the recipe to my phone or as you say get it online. There are two I’d keep though: one book from the 1970s I had as a child and my late DH’s favourite cooking book. The rest just takes up space.

Mine are all gone now. I realised I wasn’t using them, but getting the same recipes up on the iPad instead. It gave me back several shelves!

Absolutely have a sift.

We only have about 10, and tbh, we're hoping to compile our favourites from those into a single reference book and get rid of most of the full books.

We have maybe 3 others which are absolute gold and I know everything from it will be perfect.

Just counted mine and have about 40, 35 of which I never open (sorry Hugh F-W). But some have one specific recipe with my notes on what I did differently each time so I can't get rid of those. The most useful are the more general how-to type of books. But I have noticed that I'm going back to browsing them for a recipe rather than go online as the ads are so irritating. The books can stay for now.

You cannot trust that a recipe will always be online. The site might stop being hosted or it could be changed for other reasons.

I would either photocopy the recipes you use and put them in a folder, or write them out on cards or in a notebook.

I have that one. And I plan to make something from it as soon as I hire a kitchen staff of 20 or so. I've eaten at TFL (not transport for London), and it's definitely possible to get there in less time than it would take to make the lobster consommé 😂

I’ve culled mine lots of times through lack of space. You can always rebuy them on Abe books if you regret it.